Amouage - Opus VI

Picture: Sichuan pepper. Photo: Chameleon (cc)

Wikimedia commons, some rights reserved

For a later impression of Opus VI, scroll down.
Opus VI is the latest creation (haven't found out by who it's created) in the fast expanding Library Collection of Amouage. Regarding Amouage, my preferences so far is by the main Amouage perfumeline, even if I  really appreciate Opus I and Opus III from the Library Collection.

Opus VI is said to be an ambre, leather, woody compositon and although these notes are present in the composition, they are overall far surpassed by other notes. Not surprising Opus VI opens with a beautiful almost airy ambery note supported by the typical Amouage frankincense-housenote. The incense note advances rapidly supported by strong sichuan pepper at the expense of the pleasant amber and the incense/pepper are soon the stars of the show. The intense incense stage is continuing for hours, supported by pepper and other distinctive spicy/woody notes. When Opus VI reaches the basenotes the pepper/incense calms down, but are still clearly present when hints of the subtle amber comes thorugh  together with wiffs of a well modulated patchouli and sandalwood. The ambernote becomes more distinctive ande the incense/pepper balanced the more the basenotes developes. There is also an almost paperlike, very dry note which probably derives from the vanillanote that I can also detect during the latest stages of the drydown. The latest stages are my favourite parts of Opus VI.

Overall Opus VI is a good fragrance, by superior ingredients. That despite of that Opus VI to my untrained nose maybe is a bit unbalanced as the incense and peppernotes are allowed to dominate the composition almost compleatly. To the price of EUR 275 I also expect something more original. I have already smelled a bunch of similar perfumes as: Montale Dark Oud (peppery with sandalwood), Carner Barcelona Cuirs (peppery spicy leather), Montale Aoud Musk (peppery with musk) and also within the Opus line Opus II (peppery aromatic) and the most similar of all, Amouages Epic Man which bears some greener notes. The peppery anorectic amber Opus VI  definitely provides a good alternative in this genre of fragrances and it's of course up to the wearer to find out which one that best suits the personal taste.

Opus VI is wearable, both for business and pleasure, year around expect in the warmest summertemperatures. It's a unisex fragrance that to my nose slightly lends towards the masculine territory.

Rating: 3+ (March 2012) Rating  5 (May 2012) Reassessment - A few months later I suddenly adore Opus VI. I think the dosage is the key to Opus VI. With only one spritz applied a lovely, almost soapy, oudy, spicy, ambery quality appears. I also smell a note similar to dark and dry choclate and the sandalwood note is obvious but anyway doesn't take the center. Very well blended and so beautiful even if not the most original creation.

Notes: Bay, frankincense, sichuan pepper, nagarmotha, silk wine, patchouli, sandalwood, labdanum, amber

Thanks to Amouage for providing a sample to test.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian - Oud

MFK:s recently launched Oud is a creation of the founder of the house, the skillfull perfumer Francis Kurkdjian. As almost all houses currently, also MFK launch it's own take on Oud which I think is very appealing as I like Oud in different interpretations. Oud definitly is a note that is here to stay and just as many houses has their own amber, vetiver, vanille, incense etc they also need an oud.

The MFK Oud is a different take on the oud-theme. The fragrance starts with some citrus and medical, spicy/herbal notes, like a medical potion. I can recognize traces of MFK Absolute pour le Matin but that one is greener, ligther and have more citrus. As the spicy/herbal potion softens, but still is evident, a slight leathery soft oudnote appears, but also hits of cedar. There is not the sharpness in the oud and it is not loud and dominating as in the Montales. MFK note is somehow a fresh, sporty and casual oud. The medical impression comes mainly by the herbal, spicy, slight sweet "cough mixture" like notes, probably the oud as medical notes, but stronger and more compact, are present in the Montales. The citrus-spicy-herbal qualities of Oud gives the fragrance an almost airy expression. In the basenotes the cedar also is present in moderation together with ditto patchouli and Oud.

Even if not similar in smell, Oud:s character is reminiscent of Montales Aoud Flowers although AF contains some rose which MFK Oud doesn't. MFK Oud is as Mona di Orios Oud an Oud that boycotts paring the rose with oud in favor of other companions, osmanthus in MdO Oud and spicy/herbal notes in MFK Oud.

To summon it all up MFK Oud is a different, very wearable, brisk Oud, unisex in character and with good stayingpower. It's perfect for daytime wearing, especially during the spring and summer.

Rating: 4+

Notes: Oud from Laos, saffron, patchouli, cedar

Thanks to Maison Francis Kurkdjian for providing me a sample to test.

Annick Goutal - Nuit Etoilée

Picture: Wildweibchen mit Einhorn,

Kissenplatte, Strassburg, October 1500,

Unknown author, Historisches Museum Basel,

Wikimedia commons

The latest creation from Annick Goutal Nuit Etoilée, created by the "house-nose" Isabel Doyen will be released later this spring. NE will capture the feeling of walking in the wild forest at night, the magical feel, the fresh minty herbs, moss and the whirls of dark, woody notes.

To me Nuit Etoilée doesn't mediate this impressions, on the contrary I get the image of a warm summernight in the asphalt jungle of a big city. NE starts with a citrusy note that for a very short while reminds of the beginning of The Different Companys chilly DeBachmakov. But very soon NE turns to be a warm fragrance, and stays warm during the whole dry down. A slight dusty jasmine note combined with mint comes forward and at this stage NE reminds me of a gentler version of Etat Libre d'Oranges Jasmin et Cigarettes. There is also a plastic note lurking in the background, but the note is not at all disturbing and fits in with the menthol cigarettes. The mint note is not as distinctive and sharp as in the mint-tea blend of Parfumerie Générale Harmatan Noir. In the basenotes a gentle balsamic firnote appears together with a quiet pine. But there is pine trees in urban surroundings, there is not the wooded, green, sharp- and freshness in the pinenotes as in for example Cacharel pour Homme.

When sampling NE it reminds me of another perfume that I can't identify at first. As NE achieved the middle- and basenotes it's all suddenly clear: NE is close to the transparent, light herbal, light spicy, flowery Turbulences by Révillon, early 2000 Edt-formula. The plastic, minty, cigarettenotes are there in both blends but Turbulences is more flowery, spicy as NE is more herbal, woody in character.

Nuit Etoilée is, according to the picture on the samplewrapper, botteld in beautiful, night dark blue bottles. The mens squarish bottle with it's dark label is the most beautiful. But unfortunately the juice (to me) doesn't quite lives up to the beauty of the blue bottles. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the blend but after the releases of the masterpiece Mon Parfum Cheri, par Camille and the distinctive, sappy green beauty Ninfeo Mio I have far higher expectations than NE can deliver. Of course I'm also affected by the fact that I perceive Turbulences during almost the whole drydown of NE.

To summarize: NE is a good perfume but it doesn't stand out among the Goutals, but compared to most mainstream releases it definitly does.NE is a very wearable perfume, foremost in spring and summer. It is classified as an unisex fragrance and I think it's the right classificationas it seems to fit both genders equal.

Update June 2012: Nuit Etoilée is one of those fragrances that grows over time, sniffed it now and then during the latest months, I have learnt to appreciate NE much more then before. In particular I'm appreciating the minty-cigarette-smoky-note which resembles the cigarette-smoky note in my favorite Carner Barcelona fragrance D600.

Rating: 3+   Updated rating June 2012: 4+ .Rating July 2012: 5 This one just grows better with time :-)

Notes: Citrus, orange, peppermint, angelica, imortelle, fir balsam, pine, tonka.

Thanks to Parfums Annick Goutal for the sample to review.

A summary of Neela Vermeire Creations

At first as I read about the Neela Vermeire Creations I was sceptic because the fact that the hyper-producitve Bertrand Duchaufour is the nose. I have to make clear that I really like many of BD:s creations for example Nuit de Tubereuse and Dzongka are two of my top favourites and his Sienne l'Hiver and Bois d'Ombrie are performing well on Mr Parfumista. But in the latest years Bertrand seems to be everywhere, he works for so many houses and projects that it is easy to assume that he will be exhausted and loose the artistic feeling. Therefore my expectations, when I ordered the discovery set, was: High quality perfumes, blends of superior ingredients and technical perfected but without the artistic sense.

I could not be more wrong. All three of Neela Vermeires creations is all of that mentioned above but also with a great artistical sense that is able transmit the images of India (and lot of other images) that the perfumes will convey. Maybe it is Neela who stands for the sentiment of those lovely creations, but also Bertrand definitly demonstrates his artistic skills.

All three of the Neela Vermeire creations are just great and a pleasure to wear. I had a hard time ranking them and even if I have rated all of them as 5 there is of course a ranking within the best rating. Before testing, from what I had read about the pefumes, I thought the rose-oud Mohur would be my favorite as like oud/rose combinations since years. But as often in perfumeland, the obvious candidate in advance, is overtaken by another when it comes to the real test. up to day the spicy oud Trayeé is number one, followed by the original, best fruity blend so far, Bombay Bling with the beautiful pink rose Mohur in bronze position. I guess that Mohur got distanced because I think it's the one of the three fragrances that is as least original compared to other perfumes.

Neela Vermeire Creations is definitly some of the very best fragrances launched during 2011.

Neela Vermeire Creations - Mohur

Picture: Begum Nur Jahan (Mehrunissa) 1577-1645

Wikimedia commons

Mohur is the third fragrance that I tried from the Neela Vermeire Creation Discovery set. It's like it's companions created by Betrand Duchaufour in collaboration with the founder of the perfumehouse Neela Vermeire. Mohur will evoke images of the powerful empress Mehrunissa of the Mogul (Begum Nur Jahan)dynasty but also of the later colonial era in India.

Mohur is a beautiful pink, smooth and creamy rose blend with a almond and gentle traces of pepper, cardamom, coriander, other spices and a foamy leathery note. There is also slight woody and green touch in Mohur and in the basenotes I find a gentle proportion of the almost fresh geranium smelling oudnote from the spicy Trayeé. The oud in Mohur never overpowers the rose, they are interacting in the most harmonius way. There is also a warm and smooth sandalwood among the basenotes, I think Mysore as it has no sharp edges as the australian version.

Mohur is no sillagemonster but it stays close to the skin, unfragmented during a whole day. There is a pleasure to inhale this thick blend loaded with fine ingredients during. Even almost twelve hours after application I can smell the beautiful natural smelling roseoil. This is a fragrance for elegant daytime events and it is also appropriate for elegant summerevenings. And of course, also to cheer the wearer up a gloomy winterday. Other rosefragrances that Mohur reminds me of is Aoud Damascus by Montale, even if thar one is a bit more oudy and have a slight metallic vibe. It has also some similarities (the pink, creamy rose) to Burberry Body, but Mohur is a highquality, oriental version of Body.

Mohur is a must try for pink rose lovers!

Rating: 5

Notes: Cradamom, coriander, ambrette, carrot seeds, elemi, pepper, rose, iris, violet, jasmine, almond, leather, amber, sandalwood, oud, woody notes, patchouli, benzoin, vanilla, tonka been.

Neela Vermeire Creations - Trayeé

Picture: Spices in Mapusa Market, Goa, India

Photo: judepics, (cc) Wikimedia commons, some rights reserved

Trayeé is a very original, thick, spicy blend, created by Bertrand Duchaufour for the indian inspired perfumehouse Neela Vermeire Creations. Trayeé is inspired by the ancient India during the Veda-period.

Trayeé smells as I image an Indian spicemarket with distinct spices with the unconventional addition of a slight smoky tarnote. The tarnote is most evident in the topnotes but lingers in a dimmed version during the whole dry down. As Trayeé reaches the basenotes a bright, geraniumlike oud becomes the star of the show, even if it interacts very well with the spices. The oud note is the same as I percive in Mona di Orios beautiful Oud but as Monas oud is interacting with the flower of osmanthus, the oud in Trayeé interacts with the spices instead. In the basenotes of Trayeé I can finally smell something slight vanillic that rounds out and soften the other potent notes.

Trayeé is a pleasure to wear and it is perfect for cold days. It is suitable for many occasions, to work or casual. Besides the similarities with the oudnote of Mona di Orios Oud, Trayeés spicyness reminds me of Montales Amber & Spices and also of Lorenzo Villoresis Piper Nigrum but the spiciness of Trayeé i thicker, darker and mysterious than in those two mentioned.

Trayeé is a must try for the spice and/or oud lover and so far it's my favorite among the three Neela Vermeire Creations.

Rating: 5

Notes: Ginger, cinnamon, elemi, black currant, basil, jasmine, sandalwood, saffron, clove, cardamom, vetiver, patchouli, okmoss, cedar, amber, incense, myrrhe, vanille, oud

Neela Vermeire Creations - Bombay Bling

Picture: Different views from Mumbai (Bombay),

Photo: Permission CC-BY-SA-2.0, Wikimedia commons, some rights reserved.

Neela Vermeire Creations first three fragrances composed by the hyper-productive nose Bertrand Duchaufour, are three oriental olfactory gems compund by (as I perceive it and have read elsewhere) very fine ingredients. Bombay Bling is one of them and the one that I thought would be the less interesting of the three, the other are the spicy-woody Trayeé and the rosy Mohur. But sniffing from the bottles, I have bought the discoveryset of 3x10 ml which I really recommend, the one that caught my attention at first was Bombay Bling. Bombay Bling will capture the essence of the modern India.

Bombay Bling is the best fruity fragrance that I have experienced so far. There is not the artificial-chemical-sweet fruitiness, this is ripe, spicy, sturdy, "earthy/stone" fruits as melon (but not the calone-note) mango, litchi, embedded in subdued tropical flowers. Caradmom is present during the whole developement of the scent. The base there is a well balanced sandalwoody-vanilla underscored by gentle tobacco leaves. The whole composition is well blended, balanced and interesting during it's whole dry down. The first time I sampled Bombay Bling it almost vanished, as my skin was eaten the scent. But subsequent attempts proved that with a higher dose Bombay Bling is almost perfect.

Even if not very similar to Bombay Bling gives me associations to Missoni by Missoni, the dark sweet fruity notes,  the same with Casmir by Chopard but that one is more oriental ans sweeter. An airy, aquatic version of the theme is Hermès Un Jardin apres la Mousson where the cardamom and the melon are the common denominators. Calé Tepidarium also, even if citrusladen and sharper, have traces of the special Bombay Bling fruitiness but without the spiciness.

Bombay Bling is a extremly comfortable fruity-spicy oriental, wearable at most occasions, except for sport. I can image it will be just perfect to wear during a warm summer evening.

Rating: 5

Notes: Cardamom, caraway, labdanum, litchi, mango, black currant, jasmine, gardenia, tuberose, ylang-ylang, frangipani, rose, patchouli, cedar- and sandal wood, other woody notes, tobacco, vanilla.